Cold comfort: Slight weekend warm-up due

These are the times that try tourists’ souls. Out of the cold and … right back into the cold.

The temperature at Palm Beach International Airport sank to 46 degrees Thursday morning, 8 degrees warmer than Monday’s downright frigid 38, but 15 degrees shy of the normal low for the date of 61 degrees.

It was 48 in Palm Beach, 37 to the west near Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and Northlake Boulevard. It was in the 30s in eastern Collier County including one freezing temperature — 31 degrees — off Alligator Alley (Everglades Parkway) east of the Forest Glen Golf & Country Club.

Low temperatures were in the mid- to upper-40s in coastal Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

But to the north and west it was 36 in Okeechobee, 46 in Stuart, 43 in Fort Pierce, and 43 in Orlando. The temperature bottomed out at 38 in Daytona Beach, cold enough for spring breakers to shout: “Gimme a break!”

In fact, there has been a bit of grumbling among the college crowd this year as they find out that March in Florida is not always fun, frolic and sun-tanning. A walk on the beach can still be nice if you’ve remembered to bring your parka from your dormitory closet.

“I’m supposed to be on spring break, getting a tan,” Elizabeth Young of Ohio told CBS News in Tampa. ”That’s not really going over too well.”

Temperatures will inch up grudgingly through the weekend. Today’s expected high of 70 — 8 degrees below average — will improve to 73 on Friday and Saturday and 74 on Sunday. Lows will rise into the lower 60s, but with 20 mph wind gusts.

Yes, it is expected to reach 80 degrees on Tuesday in Palm Beach, but then another cold front rolls through the area. Computer forecast models show this one will be weaker than the last two Arctic freight trains, although AccuWeather shows another dip into the 50s next week for Palm Beach.

* * *

Here’s a smart governmental move. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — the parent organization of the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center — is changing the name of another one of its agencies, the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, to the Weather Prediction Center.

The center’s job is to forecast precipitation events around the country. The agency has been right on target many times regarding how much rain was expected in Palm Beach from stalled fronts, tropical storms and even hurricanes.

“Although our mission hasn’t changed at all, it is nice now to have a name everyone can understand, pronounce and spell,” said Jim Hoke, director of the Hydrometeor … I mean the Weather Prediction Center, based in College Park, Md.

And now when someone comes up to Jim at a cocktail party and asks what he does for a living, he won’t have to watch them walk back to the chip bowl, confused.

About the Author

John Nelander is a freelance writer, book editor and publisher in West Palm Beach. Weather Matters features news and observations about the weather with a focus on what's happening in South Florida. The blog also looks at the latest studies on climate change as well as what's happening in the weather forecasting biz. His website is www.pbeditorialservices.com.